The Benefits of the NFL Continuing to Come to London
While the NFL is the most popular major sports league in the United States, and American football is the biggest sport, neither have much of a footprint outside of their native country. There are, indeed, fans all over the world, but given the scope of most other popular sports, the fan base for American football is still relatively quaint.
One of the ways in which the league is trying to change this is by directly reaching out to other countries through the annual International Series. While Mexico has been in the fold for a game per season over the last four years, London has been the focus.
Since 2007, the NFL has staged at least one game every season in London. Over the years, the International Series games have gone from strength-to-strength, with the success of the fixtures in England’s capital leading to an increased slate of fixtures.
The NFL coming to London has done a great deal of good already, helping the sport to grow and offering a new and exciting experience to fans.
Connecting the fans to the sport
Since the International Series reached the shores of Britain, attendance has been very high despite the often tepid quality of the match-ups showcased in London. Each match-up has shown strong attendance figures given the allotted spaces within Wembley, Twickenham, and now the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, per Statista.
In 2013, the series expanded to two London games, and then to three in 2014, and since 2017 there have been four NFL games in London each season. The only exception was 2018 when plans to play at the new Tottenham Hotspur Stadium were stifled due to construction delays.
As reported by the LA Times, the London NFL games have helped to cultivate and establish a strong and thriving fan base in the UK. The growth of the sport in the country is evident by the growing number of fixtures, as well as the Jacksonville Jaguars now announcing that they’ll play two games in London next season.
A whole new experience
Naturally, the first audience that the International Series appeals to is the people of the UK. They get to experience the sport first-hand without having to plan a lengthy and expensive trip to the United States. The London NFL games also act as a hub for European fans and offer the chance for American home fans to watch their team in a new and exciting location.
London is a well-established tourist hotspot, boasting plenty of entertainment experiences to enhance the experience of coming to the city to watch some sport. The city is simply overflowing with things to do, so most people who visit turn to the well-established review websites that provide an easy way of working out what to do in London.
There’s a review for just about any activity that you could imagine in the capital city such as the best landmarks to visit with Landmark London. Review sites have also established themselves in other fields such as insurance, flights and online casinos due to the value they offer the reader. Casino Wings is a prime example of this, as they review all of the best casino websites and sort them by their overall rating, which is determined by various factors.
Along with all of the fun activities to be enjoyed around London, there are also many staged events that are NFL-specific. As shown by Visit London, there’s the NFL London Tailgate, the Fanpark and Boxpark, and the Gridiron London Games Party at Bloomsbury Lanes. All-in-all, the International Series offers fans much more than your average NFL game, with people more than willing to throw themselves into the NFL festivities and explore what the new surroundings have to offer.
For the growth of the sport and the league, the International Series is one of the most important dates on the NFL calendar each year. Perhaps the only thing that’s lacking is a consistent stream of quality match-ups.
